Slow Roast Pork Butt

Sundae · 08-21-2010, 09:33 AM

I'm making roast pork tomorrow.
We call it shoulder but Merkin sites I've been to call it butt. Even though it's not :p

I have contradictory advice.
I want to make it Merkin style. In that I want to be able to pull it apart with a fork. British style roast pork is sliced - I don't want that. I want something totally different to anything they've eaten before and I want it melt-in-the-mouth. And yes, Americans do that best.

Now the general advice is to cook for 8 hours, allowing the fat to seep into the meat and the collagen to break down. Fine. But I've read that it's not possible to overcook it, you can leave it in as long as you want. And also that you can over-cook it and it will go tough and leathery. And one of the sites suggested that if you have a fan oven you need to turn the fan off. Well, we do have a fan oven, and I can't turn the fan off.

Also, some of the recipes I've read (I was going for a hybrid of my own making) say to cover it, but other forums suggest this traps condensation, so you end up steaming rather than roasting. I'm also torn between cooking in liquid (various ideas inc lemon juice, wine, water) and not. I think the liquid and the foil are not compatible.

I come to you for help.
Any advice?

limey · 08-21-2010, 09:45 AM

Do you have a slow cooker (aka Crockpot) in your house SG? If so, put it in there and leave it forever (at least eight hours). I'd put some flavoured liquid in the bottom (not much) and balance the pig part on some lumps of vegetable (carrot, for example).

jinx · 08-21-2010, 09:49 AM

You're doing this entirely in the oven?
The standard merkin pulled pork recipes are gonna be for a bbq or smoker....

Have you considered brining? That would help it not be dry.

This recipe uses a brine and an oven.

richlevy · 08-22-2010, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinx

You're doing this entirely in the oven?
The standard merkin pulled pork recipes are gonna be for a bbq or smoker....

Have you considered brining? That would help it not be dry.

This recipe uses a brine and an oven.

Yikes! Kosher salt on a pork butt. A culinary oxymoron.

jinx · 08-22-2010, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richlevy

Yikes! Kosher salt on a pork butt. A culinary oxymoron.

Religious, not culinary. And religion should have the decency to leave good food out of its ridiculousness.

Fail how SG?

Griff · 08-22-2010, 02:35 PM

Sorry it isn't working out. You may need a better set up for pulled pork.

Here is a really simple (and quite awesome) recipe for roast beef instead of pork that you may want to try.

Leave roast (any size) out at room temperature for over 1/2 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put roast on rack in pan in oven.
Cook 6 minutes per pound.
Turn off the oven.
Leave the roast in the oven for a minimum of 2 hours. DO NOT PEEK!
Roast will be well-done on the outside and pink on the inside.

HungLikeJesus · 08-22-2010, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Griff

Sorry it isn't working out. You may need a better set up for pulled pork.

Here is a really simple (and quite awesome) recipe for roast beef instead of pork that you may want to try.

Leave roast (any size) out at room temperature for over 1/2 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put roast on rack in pan in oven.
Cook 6 minutes per pound.
Turn off the oven.
Leave the roast in the oven for a minimum of 2 hours. DO NOT PEEK!
Roast will be well-done on the outside and pink on the inside.

Is that two hours total, or two hours after turning off the oven?

Sundae · 08-21-2010, 09:56 AM

I have no slow cooker, I'm afraid.

And Jinx - it's probably the way I've been searching, but every recipe I've seen has been oven only. Oh, except for The River Cafe one (English) which was in a pot. Brining is a step too far for me, sorry.

ETA - that recipe does seem to fit the pattern though. Plan is to whack the oven up as high as it will go. Rub salt into the scores. Put in the pork, and immediately reset the oven to 100 degrees (C). Leave for 8 hours. If necessary put the heat back up to crisp the crackling (it will have to go back up to roast the potatoes anyway). I'm thinking 30 mins uncovered at the start, then 30 mins uncovered at the end. And trust the fat to preserve the moisture.

Pete Zicato · 08-21-2010, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

I have no slow cooker, I'm afraid.

Dutch oven would do as well.

Sundae · 08-21-2010, 11:04 AM

Nope. Also not got.

BigV · 08-21-2010, 01:44 PM

Hey SG

It's possible to overcook it, but you might die of old age first....

Look, you can easily do this in the oven. Looks like your recipe will do ok, one **KEY** part missing is that you need moist heat in the oven. You MUST have a pan of water in the oven as you're cooking the pork. I put the pork in a roasting pan, and I use my turkey rack to keep it up off the bottom and I keep an inch or so of water in the bottom. I also cover it with foil. I like to start with a room temperature piece of meat when I put it on the smoker, I reckon this would be less crucial in the oven where you can control the temperature more easily. How big is the cut of meat? I have done this with large cuts, around 15-20 pounds. A smaller cut would be easier to cook, but makes the water much more important.

You're exactly right when you say you are trying to melt the collagen in the fibers of the meat...that makes it tender and moist. Don't let it run dry. Don't take it out early. When you're doing it right it will literally fall apart in your hands. Good luck.

Clodfobble · 08-21-2010, 01:55 PM

BigV's right, it's all about the moisture. A foil tent won't keep moisture trapped inside as well as a dutch oven (lidded cast iron pot, just to be sure I'm not using words you use differently,) but it's better than nothing. With a dutch oven, you wouldn't need to add water, with a foil tent you will. The top will still get nice and roasty, it won't appear to have been steamed. See here for how I do it (but I do use a dutch oven.)

lumberjim · 08-21-2010, 02:10 PM

I always thought that a dutch oven was when you farted in bed and then pulled the covers over your wife's head.

Clodfobble · 08-21-2010, 02:20 PM

As long as you have cast iron sheets, and prefer your wife well-done.

Sundae · 08-21-2010, 02:37 PM

I knew I was in the right place for advice

My joint is >2kg, which translates to about 4lbs
15-20lbs! Argh! Is that a whole pig?! I'm only cooking for five.

I have a lidded roasting pan. I thought a Dutch Oven was a terracotta thing for some reason, so thanks for the elucidation. I'm going to use that instead of the tray I had originally intended.

08-21-2010, 09:33 AM	#1
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	Slow Roast Pork Butt I'm making roast pork tomorrow. We call it shoulder but Merkin sites I've been to call it butt. Even though it's not :p I have contradictory advice. I want to make it Merkin style. In that I want to be able to pull it apart with a fork. British style roast pork is sliced - I don't want that. I want something totally different to anything they've eaten before and I want it melt-in-the-mouth. And yes, Americans do that best. Now the general advice is to cook for 8 hours, allowing the fat to seep into the meat and the collagen to break down. Fine. But I've read that it's not possible to overcook it, you can leave it in as long as you want. And also that you can over-cook it and it will go tough and leathery. And one of the sites suggested that if you have a fan oven you need to turn the fan off. Well, we do have a fan oven, and I can't turn the fan off. Also, some of the recipes I've read (I was going for a hybrid of my own making) say to cover it, but other forums suggest this traps condensation, so you end up steaming rather than roasting. I'm also torn between cooking in liquid (various ideas inc lemon juice, wine, water) and not. I think the liquid and the foil are not compatible. I come to you for help. Any advice?

08-21-2010, 09:45 AM	#2
limey Encroaching on your decrees Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: An island within the south-west coast of Scotland Posts: 7,016	Do you have a slow cooker (aka Crockpot) in your house SG? If so, put it in there and leave it forever (at least eight hours). I'd put some flavoured liquid in the bottom (not much) and balance the pig part on some lumps of vegetable (carrot, for example). __________________ Living it up on the edge ... of civilisation, within the southwest coast of

08-21-2010, 09:49 AM	#3
jinx Come on, cat. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: general vicinity of Philadelphia area Posts: 7,013	You're doing this entirely in the oven? The standard merkin pulled pork recipes are gonna be for a bbq or smoker.... Have you considered brining? That would help it not be dry. This recipe uses a brine and an oven. __________________ Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good.

08-22-2010, 02:35 PM	#6
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Sorry it isn't working out. You may need a better set up for pulled pork. Here is a really simple (and quite awesome) recipe for roast beef instead of pork that you may want to try. Leave roast (any size) out at room temperature for over 1/2 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put roast on rack in pan in oven. Cook 6 minutes per pound. Turn off the oven. Leave the roast in the oven for a minimum of 2 hours. DO NOT PEEK! Roast will be well-done on the outside and pink on the inside. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

08-21-2010, 09:56 AM	#8
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	I have no slow cooker, I'm afraid. And Jinx - it's probably the way I've been searching, but every recipe I've seen has been oven only. Oh, except for The River Cafe one (English) which was in a pot. Brining is a step too far for me, sorry. ETA - that recipe does seem to fit the pattern though. Plan is to whack the oven up as high as it will go. Rub salt into the scores. Put in the pork, and immediately reset the oven to 100 degrees (C). Leave for 8 hours. If necessary put the heat back up to crisp the crackling (it will have to go back up to roast the potatoes anyway). I'm thinking 30 mins uncovered at the start, then 30 mins uncovered at the end. And trust the fat to preserve the moisture. Last edited by Sundae; 08-21-2010 at 10:01 AM.

08-21-2010, 11:04 AM	#10
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	Nope. Also not got.

08-21-2010, 01:44 PM	#11
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	Hey SG It's possible to overcook it, but you might die of old age first.... Look, you can easily do this in the oven. Looks like your recipe will do ok, one KEY part missing is that you need moist heat in the oven. You MUST have a pan of water in the oven as you're cooking the pork. I put the pork in a roasting pan, and I use my turkey rack to keep it up off the bottom and I keep an inch or so of water in the bottom. I also cover it with foil. I like to start with a room temperature piece of meat when I put it on the smoker, I reckon this would be less crucial in the oven where you can control the temperature more easily. How big is the cut of meat? I have done this with large cuts, around 15-20 pounds. A smaller cut would be easier to cook, but makes the water much more important. You're exactly right when you say you are trying to melt the collagen in the fibers of the meat...that makes it tender and moist. Don't let it run dry. Don't take it out early. When you're doing it right it will literally fall apart in your hands. Good luck. __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

08-21-2010, 01:55 PM	#12
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	BigV's right, it's all about the moisture. A foil tent won't keep moisture trapped inside as well as a dutch oven (lidded cast iron pot, just to be sure I'm not using words you use differently,) but it's better than nothing. With a dutch oven, you wouldn't need to add water, with a foil tent you will. The top will still get nice and roasty, it won't appear to have been steamed. See here for how I do it (but I do use a dutch oven.) __________________ My book My other book My spirit animal

08-21-2010, 02:10 PM	#13
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	I always thought that a dutch oven was when you farted in bed and then pulled the covers over your wife's head. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

08-21-2010, 02:20 PM	#14
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	As long as you have cast iron sheets, and prefer your wife well-done. __________________ My book My other book My spirit animal

08-21-2010, 02:37 PM	#15
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	I knew I was in the right place for advice My joint is >2kg, which translates to about 4lbs 15-20lbs! Argh! Is that a whole pig?! I'm only cooking for five. I have a lidded roasting pan. I thought a Dutch Oven was a terracotta thing for some reason, so thanks for the elucidation. I'm going to use that instead of the tray I had originally intended.

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